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Alli Fronzaglia: What would Chief Niwot do?

Posted:
10/06/2017 08:10:10 PM MDT

Better Boulder recently posted a Facebook photo of the Chief Niwot statue that sits near Boulder Creek, along with those famous words attributed to him: "People seeing the beauty of this valley will want to stay, and their staying will be the undoing of the beauty." At the end of the post, Better Boulder asks its followers what they think of that statement. "A curse? A prediction? An urban legend?" No one responded.

I'm an Audubon-trained naturalist and the founder of Boulder Hiker Chicks, a local women's hiking group. My husband is a natural foods entrepreneur. We first moved to Boulder in 2005. This city's commitment to conservation and sustainability, combined with a culture of innovation and creativity, was unique to anywhere else we'd lived. Very few communities in this country have been so thoughtfully planned with concern for wildlife and open space. Very few communities have been so welcoming to new residents, new ideas, and new ways of doing things. It's a precarious balance and that's the beauty of Boulder.

But Boulder's balance has been teetering for some time now. As Chief Niwot predicted, the people have come and they have stayed. Will we heed the chief's words and preserve Boulder's beauty by committing to smart, measured development with consideration for the land and quality of life? Or will we let his words devolve into "legend" as suggested by Better Boulder? It would be a disservice to all Boulderites if we didn't take these questions seriously.

In that spirit, I'm supporting Together4Boulder and the City Council candidates they've endorsed: Mary Young, Sam Weaver, Mirabai Nagle, John Gerstle, and Cindy Carlisle. These candidates understand the critical importance of learning from Boulder's past as we head toward the future.

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